While the third Hobbit film was being finalised between Peter Jackson and Warner Bros, in the background a company called MarkMonitor quietly registered a handful of web domains based on the words The Riddles in the Dark and Desolation of Smaug.

It seems likely this is coincidence — Middle-earth Enterprises could easily be registering them for other intellectual property protection or merchandising purposes. However, we know that two brand-new movie titles are required: could these be them? Continue reading “MarkMonitor registers key Hobbit domains. But why?”

Note: Updated with confirmation about third film’s release date and content. Updated with Official Press Release as well.

In a note posted to Facebook this morning (in the U.S.) Peter Jackson confirmed there will be a third film in the “Hobbit” series:

So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.

TheOneRing.net has confirmed with two independent sources that the third “Hobbit,” film will not follow the schedule of traditional December releases for Middle-earth movies and will hit audiences in Summer of 2014. TORn has also learned that this newly announced film will not serve as a bridge film but continue to tell the story of “The Hobbit,” in three parts. It is believed that the breaking points of the first film has changed. That film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be released in theaters this December 14. The next film, announced as “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is expected to keep its December 13, 2013 schedule. Its name may change however. The newly announced film, as yet untitled, will follow months later in the summer months of 2014.

The reaction has been swift and strong from film communities and Tolkien fans around the world. Read Peter’s full note here. Join us in our LIVE chatroom Barlimans, on the board, on twitter (@theoneringnet) and on Facebook (facebook.com/theoneringnet) Follow the break for the official press release

Continue reading “Update: Peter Jackson Confirms Third ‘Hobbit’ Film”

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – July 30, 2012”

Andy Serkis who’s new to directing was honored to be asked to be the second unit director on The Hobbit (and he does a good job as we have seen through out Peter Jacksons video blogs). Peter Jackson gave Andy Serkis filmmaking tips and acted as a mentor. contactmusic.com quoting from EMPIRE magazine:

Serkis explained: ‘‘He would watch form his set, call: ‘No, no, it’s not working. Just bail out of the shot.’ He was mentoring me. ”There were different ways we worked. We’d set up entire sequences, or he’d start a scene and I would finish  it if there wasn’t time.

[More ]

[Part 1 in a series from The Frodo Franchise Author Kristin Thompson]

Me and My Book

I’m a film historian by trade. I got my Ph.D. in film studies in 1977 and have written several textbooks and academic books on various topics in the field. In 2007, my book The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood, by Kristin Thompson, came out from the University of California press. As we all wait for the release of the first part of The Hobbit, I thought some of you might be interested in some of my experiences while researching the book. I had a lot of access to the filmmakers for interviews and was given facilities tours during the last part of the post-production on The Return of the King.

I first conceived the book in 2002, when it became obvious to me that Peter Jackson’s film (I call the three parts one film, as he does) was going to be very, very important historically for a wide variety of reasons. The technology (the techniques developed to animate Gollum, the selective digital color grading) would be revolutionary. The internet campaign was pioneering, as was the filmmaking team’s approach to cooperating with the video-game designers. It was a big franchise film—and a fantasy at that—and yet it won the respect of critics and Academy-Award voters as no such film ever had. (The Fellowship of the Ring had won “only” four Oscars, but I knew even then that The Return of the King would be awarded lots.) Somebody should write a book about it, I thought. But probably nobody would, not the way it should be done, with interviews with the people involved. Not while the film was still in production. I concluded that it was up to me. Was it possible, though, to get the kind of access I would need? I set out to find out.

In January of 2003, through a mutual friend, I was put in touch with producer Barrie Osborne. Fortunately, he was interested in having such a book written. Without him, my project would have been dead in the water. Continue reading “Researching THE FRODO FRANCHISE: Part 1, Off to Wellington without a Handkerchief”

When it comes to LOTR & the Hobbit, the online gushing is usually non-stop.

Not today, though. The unconfirmed news that Peter Jackson may turn “The Hobbit” into a trilogy has been blowing up on social media, and it’s not all happy. A common response has been “not sure how I feel about this,”  but there’s been quite a bit of negativity mixed in with the happiness and mixed-emotions.

We combed through the last 12 hours of tweets and pulled together a selection of what Twitter users have to say. You’ll find Yays, Naes and a whole bunch of head-scratching. Read on:

Continue reading “Three Movies? Twitter’s A-Buzz”